Valve



Oct. 12, 1943,. l A M. EDWARDS 2,331,602

v VALVE Filed May 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M y 77 :i

ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1943. A. M. EDWARDS VALVE Filed May 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k .Pw/ma, ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 12, 1943 'Y l i 2,331,602 f y VALVE Aaron M. Edwards, Skellrwwmexz "gratification May 2s, 194i, serialgNO-3955'22 4@ ji-aims., (cilena-11s).

This *invention-relates to a novelvalve. In its moreV specific aspect the invention'i's' directedto a novel check and relief valve finding particular application Heretofore it has been the practice to employv compressed air for startin'gc'ert'ain types of combustion engines. In the ojill producing and renning elds large res and' loss'of` life` has sometimes occurred by backfiring ofthe engines." In

order to eliminate these'dangers caused by backring, I have provided the present novel device.

'Moreoven I have provided a novelcheck and relief valve which has few parts and issturdy; it can be readily dismantled and repaired without the necessity of removing it from the line; it is relatively inexpensive proof. y

These and other advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following deto manufactureand is fool- Figure 1 represents aside viewoffthe combina-- tion. embodying the invention.

Figure 2 isv a vertical cross sectional vi'e'w-k of the novel valve and is taken online II-II o Figure 3 in thedirection of the arrows. l

Figure 3 is a top plan view of thencvelwvalve shown in Figure 2.

Figure i is a horizontal cross sectional view tekenen line IV-IV of Figure 2 in the direction of thearrows.A f A- Y "Figure 5 illustrates the. different parts'- which makeup the-valve assembly.

.Figure 6 is4 a `fragmentary cross sectional view4 position of. parts during back-nre.

tai-led description and appended drawings where- 4 0 View, .similar to Figure 6 and illustrates the relative Figure 9 is. a fragmentary cross. sectionalview,

smilarto Figure 7., and taken` on .line IX-IX of Figure 8. In the elcl` of producing petroleum oil there may be used aninternal combustion engine I@ of Diesel', Bessemer,r Hopes. Cooper Bessemer, Clark, ,Millen Worthington-or other type which employs gas. or. oil as the .source of energy and:

which generally is. started bythe use of compressed air. .The compressed air employed-.for start-ing may travel `trema tank (not shown) of compressed air. to; the: engine i@ through ali-i136;

une il. pai-trwmch. may be undersroimd.. A control valveilZ. may be located,inthatzpotion vof the pipe line vIl whichis. above the ground :and Valve l2, above" the ground. As shown, the

rnovel valve comprises, a. hollow. cylindrical 'body I3- preferably of hard steel'. 'Ihisbody l'irriayv berof any desired practical dimensions and; its length may be approximately twice its, diameter. Both the'upper and. lower. portions, of, bodyl |^3 Vare interiorly threaded at I4?. andi 1,5; respectively.

At about themidf-length ofsaid. body I3', there is an opening which may bey interiorly threaded and a. relatively. short coupling pipe o; conduit i6., having an exteriorl'yf threadedl portionvatQne end may make4 threaded engagement therewith and its inner end may hey approximately flush with the inner surface` of the body I3..v l.ditabout the quarter length of. said body I3,V loWer thanlthe mid-length opening` and being about '19mthe mid-lengthopeningis another opening in sjaidgbcdy I3. This opening lmay alsobeinteriorly 'threaded to accommodate the exteriorly threadedendpof a pipe or conduit Il'. Both pipes or conduits |16 andv Il may be of any desired' practical dimensions, but I prefer thatthey'be relatively' short connections whose outer ends are interiorlyr threaded and may be readily inserted ina com;- pressedair line.

lAn insert sleeve lis located mand secured'to the vhollow cylinder i3. The sleeve i8". comprises afhollow cylinder l 9 having integral therewith jan outwardly extending flange Z' whose'external diameter approximates that ofthe cylinder I3. The upper portion of ther exterior of the cylinder t9 is extericrly threaded at 2|. The lower portion of the cylinder I9 simulates. a key-hole slot. The upper part of the key holeslot 'coniprisesga pair of diametrcally opposite openings' 22 whose centers are on a. line at right angles-to theflongiltudinal axis-of the. cylinder. iS. Ihe openings 2 2` as shown are portions of a. circle,V and are greater than asemi-circle and less than a full circle. The lower portion of the cylinder l'is cut away inwardly from its lower edge to the; openings 22. The cutaway portion ofithe cylinder t9 are the incline surfaces produced by the intersections ofthe lower end of thecylinder ISh'yr a pair of planes at an angle to the central vertical axis of the cylinder |3,. .wth the intersections extending fromthelloweredge ofcylinder IS to theopenings '22. tnriigh. cylinder le; and. ywith y the anglel of intersection of one plane being greater` than the angle of intersection of the other plane t DIO- vide a pair of unequal length members 23 and 24 having incline surfaces 25 and 26. The lower tip portion of the longer member 24 is cut away to provide a, straight edge 45. The member 23 has an opening 21 therethrough adapted to be in alignment and coincidence with the upper opening in the cylinder I9. A leaf type closure 28 has a cylindrical journal 29 integral with the upper edge thereof and extending therefrom. The journal 29 is of such dimensions that its length approximates and may be slightly less than the diameter of the outer surface of the cylinder I9 and its diameter approximates and is slightly less than the diameter of the openings 22 in the cylinder I9. The contour of the outer periphery of the leaf 28 is approximately that of the outer periphery of incline surface 25, so that when the leaf closure 2B ,is in one position against the incline therefrom. The surface 3I of the lobe 30 opposite the lower opening in cylinder I3 is inclined. The length of the lobe 30 is of such magnitude that when the leaf is in one extreme position, the lobe 30 may extend part way into the opening in the lower part of cylinder I3 and may be in ther path of the medium which may iiow through said opening into cylinder I3.

Demountably disposed in the rcylinder I9 is a vsolid member 32 which may be semi-cylindrical or slightly greater than semi-cylindrical. A flange 32' is integral with said solid member and extends outwardly from only'the curvilinear upper portion thereof. The diameter of the exterior surface of the solid member is equa1 to orv very slightly less than the diameter of the inner surface of cylinder I9. The solid member has an elongated transverse arcuate opening 33 whose center is on the vertical central axis of the solid member. The lower part ofy the solid member 32 is a plane incline surface` 34 extending upwardly outward from its lower edge to the opening 33. This incline surface 34 is essentially the surface produced by the intersection of the lower part of the solid member by a plane disposed at an angle to the vertical and passing through the lower edge of the solid member to the opening 33. The solid member has a transverse opening 35 therethrough of the same diameter as the opening 21 and adapted to be in registry and coincidence with the-opening 21 when the members are assembled.

As above described and as shown in the drawings the novel Valve and all of its parts are simple, the parts may be produced inexpensively, and the assembly of the valve and its repair, if and when required, are extremely simple tasks which may be carried out even by unskilled workmen.

The novel valve assembly shown comprises a plurality of demountable parts which may be quickly assembled in the following manner. The conduits I6 and I1 may be readily demountably connected to the upper and lower openings in the cylinder I3 by a mere turning operation and these conduits Vwhich are preferably identical in all respects are interchangeable to keep to a minimum the time, effort and skill required to properly couple the conduits to the cylinder I3. The solid member 32 may be demountably coupled with the sleeve I9 by sliding the solid member therein and adjusting the flange 32 withrespect to the flange 20 until the opening 36 in the flange 32 is in registry with the threaded opening 31 through the flange 20. The flange 32' of the same diameter as flange 20 will be flush there against and the lower portion of the solid member is so disposed that its surface 34 is ush with the surface 26 of the portion 45, the openings 21 and 35 are in registry and coincidental with each other, and the arcuate slot or groove 33 is in registry and coincidental with the openings 22. The leaf closure 28 may be demountably connected to the sleeve I8 and the solid member by sliding the journal 23 through one opening 22, into the arcuate slot 33 and into the other opening 22. The so mounted leaf 28 is freely suspended in the bearing consisting of the openings 22 and the slot 33 and is free to swing either way on the journal 29. The outer ends of the journal 29 are ilush with or slightly within the outer surface of sleeve IS. This sub-assembly may be demountably connected to the sleeve I3 by merely inserting through the top of cylinder I3, the sub-assembly and rotating one with respect to the other to make threaded engagement between the threaded portions ZI and I4. When the sub-assemblyadvances so the extreme lower face of flange 2B will be located close to the upper face of cylinder I3 and the openings 3S and 31 will be in alignment with a corresponding and short opening 33 in the cylinder I3. When the parts are so coupled, the extreme lower edge of the member 23 will be disposed above the lower opening in the cylinder I3, and the extreme lower edge of the member 24 will be disposed below the upper opening in the cylinder I3, the openings 35 and 21 will bein registry with the upper opening in cylinder I3, and the closure 23 will be freely suspended in the bearings 22 and 33. A threaded stud bolt 39 may be inserted through the opening 3S and make threaded engagement with the threaded opening 31 and extend into the opening 38 to assure perfect alignment and relationship of parts at all times. The relative position of parts may be visually ascertained by looking upwardly through the bottom of the cylinder I3. The bottom of the cylinder I3 may be capped by a threaded plug 40 having a flange 4I extending outwardly therefrom and being of the same external diameter as the cylinder I3. A square or other shaped boss 42 is integral with the plug 4D and extends outwardly therefrom and is used as a wrench grip device for tightening the plug in the threaded section I5 of cylinder I3. The device as above described is shown in vertical cross section in Figure 2.

The valve may be placed in the compressed air line Ii by disposing the valve vertically, with the head of bolt 39 uppermost, and threadedly securing sections of the line II to the conduits I6 and I1 with the conduit Ib being the air inlet side and I1 being the outlet side of the valve. With no air passing through the valve, the parts of the valve are in the position shown in Figure 2, with the closure 28 being freely suspended and disposed substantially vertically. In order to start the engine I3, compressed air is delivered to the cylinder of engine I0 from air under pressure in tank (not shown) by opening the control valve I2, whereupon the air under pressure passes through one leg of conduit II, through valve I2, into conduit I6, through the check and relief valve, through the conduit I1, other leg of conduit II and thence to cylinders of engine I0. As the air passes into the cylinder I3 from the conduit I6, it forces the closure 28 to swing in the bearing 22 and 33 to the positions shown in Figures 6 and 7. When the closure 28 is in this position, the opening 43, which is slightly less than semi-cylindrical and determined by the inner plane surface of the solid member and the inner surface of cylinder I9 is now separated from the lower part of the hollow cylinder I3 with which it communicated. Further, the closure 28 is forced against the surface 25 of member 23 so that the surface 25 is contiguous with the closure 28 throughout its length to prevent the air under pressure from passing up through opening 43. In this position, the lobe 3i) is disposed in the outlet opening I1 through which passes the air under pressure to the other leg of conduit II. In the event of engine backfire the force of the gases traveling from the engine Ii] through one leg of conduit II to the normally outlet conduit I'I to cylinder I3, rst impinges against the lobe 30 to swing the closure 28 counter-clockwise and then acts against the entire face of the closure 28 to force said closure in the position shown in Figures Sand 9 whereupon these gases pass upwardly outward through the opening 43 into the atmosphere. When in this position, the closure 28 is forced against the inner flat face 34 to close off completely the opening 35 whereupon no compressed airows into cylinder I3, and the gases from engine I ilow upwardly out of the cylinder I 3 through opening 43. When the force of the backre reaches a predetermined critical minimum pressure, .the compressed air automatically forces the closure 28 back to its position as shown in Figures 6 and '7, and the compressed air is again fed into the cylinder IIJ.

When the compressed air is cut off from the engine by closing valve I2, the closure 28 is in the position shown in Figure 2 and `in the event of back re, the closure 28 is forced against the flat face 34 whereupon the gases due to back iire pass out of opening 43.

Although the invention has been described in detail, this is not by way of limitation, but by way of illustration and is not to be limited thereby.

I claim:

1. A valve comprising a cylindrical hollow body having one end open and a pair of side openings therein spaced about one hundred and eighty degrees apart, one of said openings being located higher than the other, a hollow sleeve demountable located in said open end andhaving a pair of oppositely disposed key-hole simulating slots therein defining a pair of legs,`said legs being of unequal lengths, the longer leg having an opening therein disposed adjacent to and in alignment with the higher opening, means located in i said sleeve to block a portion of said sleeve, a closure carried by the key hole slots of said sleeve and adapted in one position thereof to close the open portion of the sleeve and in another position to close the opening of the-longer leg, an extension carried by said closure, said extension arranged to be disposed in the path of backow through the lower side opening of the hollow body.

2. A valve comprising a cylindrical hollow body having one end open and a pair of side openings therein spaced about one hundred and eighty degrees apart, one of said openings being located higher than the other, a hollow sleeve demountable carried by .said body and located therein, said sleeve having a pair of oppositely disposed key-hole simulating slots extending through the lower end thereof and defining a pair of legs of unequal length, the longer of the two legs having an opening therein adjacent to and in alignment with the higher opening in said body and the other terminating above the other opening in said body, a demountable blocking means located in said sleeve and dening an elongated passageway communicating with the outer atmosphere,

said means having an opening therein opposite and in alignment with said higher opening, a closure, carried demountably by the keyhole slots of said sleeve, an extension carried by said closure and arranged to be actuated by back-ow to force said closure to one position to block off the opening in said means.

3. A valve comprising a 'body having a plurality of horizontal openings therein, one of said openings normally being an inlet and the other being an outlet, said body havinga back flow opening therein disposed vertically and extending through one extremity ojf said body, a closure pivotally mounted ink said body and constructed and arranged to be swung to block the back ilow opening by the force of fluid as it flows from the inlet, through the body and the outlet, means secured to said closure and located in alignment with said outlet when said closure is in said back iiow opening blocking position, whereby said means is actuated by back iiow to swing said closure to block said inlet whereupon the back flow travels through the outlet, said body and through the back flow opening.

4. A valve comprising an open ended hollow cylinder having a pair of side openings therein spaced about one hundred and eighty degrees apart, one of said side openings located higher than the other, a hollow cylindrical open ended sleeve disposed in said cylinder, a ange secured to said sleeve'and disposed adjacent the upper extremity, of said cylinder, said sleeve and cylinderpbeing demountably connected to each other, the lower. end of said sleeve having a pair of oppositely disposed key hole slots therein defining a pair of legs, one of said legs beinglonger than the other, the longer leg having an opening therei in opposite and inregister with the higher side opening, the other leg terminating above the other side opening, blocking means located in; said sleeve and demountably secured to said cylinder, said means having an opening therein opposite and in alignment with the higher side opening and the opening in the longer leg, a closure demountably carried by the key-hole slots of said sleeve, and demountable means closing v the lower end of said cylinder. 

